Tsarina Esra
Brouwerij De Molen

SABERG from Massachusetts

4.19/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from an 11.2 oz bottle, vintage 2012 into the Harpoon Leviathan glass.
A - Chalkboard black color, a thin offwhite cap starts to assemble, decides to give up. Reassembling into a thin off white ring during the remaing time.
S - Blackberry reduction, fig, dark chocolate, cigar wrap tobacco. Hints of dark toast, char, black licorice
T - As complex as the nose, with the bulk being focused on the chocolate, blackberry. Madagascar chocolate 70+% is the closest comparison. Fig stops in for a bit then moves on. With a little rise in Temperature the tobacco and lite char take the stage a bit.
M - Luxurious, simply luxurious. Silky smooth, hefty on the palate desert wine in body, silky smooth, sweet start moves to center and stays there. Fully coated palate is treated to the slightest hop bite. Finishing as it sarted slightly sweet and lingering forever.
O - A spectacular treat , rich and full, slick but not overbearing. Cocoa, dark fruit and a complex aromatic thread all add up to a real treasure

Mar 13, 2021

ralozelle from California

3.97/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Appearance is a surprise, motor-oil brown but relatively translucent, less opaque than expected. Nose pulls more towards grain than anything caramelized, think raw walnut. Palate is wonderfully lifted, doesn't show the weight of 11% abv, though toffee beings to take over taste wise. More carbonated mouthfeel than expected.

Overall an darker, imperial-style beer you could happily drink on a Summer day.

Feb 04, 2021

JonnoWillsteed from England

4.35/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Lable is now simply black and white, my bottle is 10.1% ABV. Lable states style as 'Imperial Porter-ish'
L- Extremely dark ruby-red when held up to a halogen. Clear/filtered, zero sediment in pour or bottle. Pours with 2mm mid-tan head, good going for this high an ABV%.
S- Deep fruit notes, but preserved fruits, specifically preserved figs come to mind (the kind we used to eat at the Xmas table). There is also a slightly vinious note - wine-barrel aged?
T- Deeeep malts, beautifully sustained rich/zingy (ABV instead of hops) punchy taste that just holds and holds... wow. At this point if there is wine-barrel ageing it's lost into the big and pungent mix - fine by me the whole is luscious.
F- What a refined and polished gem this is. You just know it's a beast but it's so 'polite and subtle' about it.
O- Absolutely delicious. Would be great in place of a dessert wine after a meal. Great at Xmas time, great in winter. This is so good it coule be habit forming. ... Just suggested to my wife that once Covid is over we go and visit this brewery, the things they brew!...
330ml bottle, £4.80 bought from TremblingMadness/York as part of a couple of mixed cases for home delivery to London. BB: off in 2045!

Nov 21, 2020

jmdrpi from Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

330 ml bottle, dated May 19, 2015. Says drink within 25 years, so the about 5 years of age seems appropriate.

Pours a very dark brown, but not quite pitch black. Thin tan colored head that fades to nothing. Aroma and taste of dark molasses, black cherry, a bit of smoke and licorice. Not much roast flavor at all. But not overly sweet. Medium bodied, lower carbonation.

Apr 04, 2020

Zraly from Virginia

3.73/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Brewed in 2016. Pour jet black with a mocha head. Nose is roasted malts. Fruit and roast dominate the flavor profile with a hint of anise and cocoa. Tobacco. A bit of oxidation. Drink by 2041! Overall quite smooth and leathery.

May 17, 2019

StupidToad from Netherlands

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I realize I gave this 4.25 across the board. Very consist in every regard. Billed as an Imperial Porter. On draft in Amsterdam. Black chocolate pervades this beer. The nose has an amazing creamy dark chocolate character - is even possible? The nutty/roasty malts are a great bitter counterpoint to the full maltiness. Excellent beer.

Mar 28, 2019

Baldpacker from Canada (AB)

4.09/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Bottled in 2017 - the 10.1% ABV, 383 EBC, 93 EBU version of this beer (white / black label).

A: Dark dark beer. Thin head.

S: Wow. Sweet, prune, berries w/ a hint of leather/earthy/alcohol.

T: First impression - much more bitterness and nibs than expected from the nose. On subsequent sips, more caramel, smokiness, chocolate, prune, and chocolate come through. While there are subtle prune and fruit/cherry flavours, nowhere near as much as I'd expect off the nose. The finish is of sweetness and alcohol with a bit of dryness that encourages the next sip. A more complex beer than I expected with a touch more bitterness and alcohol than I would have though.

F: Very smooth with light carbonation.

O: A tasty beer no doubt and certainly a good representation of a Belgian-influenced Imperial Porter.

I'd love to age a bottle for 10+ years to see what happens. If a bit from of the fruitiness from the nose came through in the taste this would be an epic brew.

Mar 28, 2019

Brutaltruth from Ohio

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From the 11.2 oz bottle in a snifter. This decent baltic pours a rich
deep and dark brownish black with cola highlights and a decent
head of off white foam that settles to a big bubbled ring and very thin
foam layer with subtle lacing. Nose of chocolate, coffee, dark fruits,
toffee, and sweet brown sugars. Flavors subtly exceed the nose with
dried cherries that mingle with chocolate malts and a touch of coffee
amongst hints of coffee and brown sugars. Decent mouth feel;
medium full body, smooth, rich, nice roasted elements that lend
to the low carbonation, and a rich moderately sweet and
lightly dry finish.

Overall, I have never had a bad brew form this brewery, and this
one impresses all the same.

Nice

Cheers

Feb 16, 2019

janubio from Spain

3.54/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Bottle at Echarle Huevos. Pours a black colour, medium head with long retention, compact lacing. Aroma of dried fruits, chocolate, vanilla, liquor. Full body, creamy dense texture, good carbonation. Sweet finish. Taste is similar to the aroma. Alcohol is not much noticeable. Good.

Feb 11, 2019

LiquidAmber from Washington

4.11/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 2015 bottle with unknown storage history (but "fresh" into the Seattle market) into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque black in the glass with a thin khaki head that dissipates to patches with slight lacing. Aroma of dark toasted and biscuit malt, cocoa, mild fresh and dried plums, a hint of vanilla. Flavor is dark, lightly toasted and dry biscuit malt, light fresh and dried plum, hints of dates and cocoa; flavor thins out a little into the finish with light oxidation notes. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess and good mouth feel and carbonation. Flavor profile is classic Baltic porter, with a little old ale maltiness along with darker stout malt and the pleasant dark stone fruit that makes this style so interesting. Hits all the notes I hope for in a Baltic porter, but perhaps a little subdued. Some flavors seem a little tired and there are distinct light oxidation, so I'm glad I didn't have this which much more age on it. It held up to aging well, particularly because this has been warehoused under unknown conditions rather than cellared. I'm less and less happy with Shelton Bros. Offerings in the Northwest and I'm increasingly thinking we often get warehouse bloat rather than fresh imported offerings. Why wasn't this distributed in 2015? I like some age on big porters and stouts, but think the proper storage conditions are important. This is a nice Baltic porter and I hope someday I can try a fresh one for comparison.

Jul 10, 2018

qrazvan from Romania

4.19/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Nice dark brown colour, with a medium head that quickly disappears.
Caramel and coffee smell.
The taste is mainly sweet, with coffee and roasted barley, caramel, dried plums and woody notes at the end. Dry aftertaste.
A good imperial porter, with 10.1% alcohol (at least the 2017 version). Funny expiration date: 2042! :)

Jun 27, 2018

GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.92/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottled 4/25/14; drank 5/22/18 @ the Yarchives.

Black appearance.

A violent pour yielded almost no tan lace; almost no lace.

Fresh earth, dark chocolate, leather & mild dark cherry notes in the nose.

Flat, medium thick mouthfeel.

Fresh earth, barnyard & leather flavors up front; dark chocolate notes on the finish. No booze heat.

A bit raw for me; almost a manure note in there! However, it ain't boring.

May 23, 2018

MaltyPythonsHopCircus from Canada (BC)

4.37/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

So much chocolate, coffee and vanilla. Finishes with tobacco, leather and a hint of liquorice. Silky smooth mouthfeel with minimal carbonation. Complexity builds as it warms

Jul 15, 2017

Lone_Freighter from Vermont

4.16/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter, the appearance was a thick black color with no head nor lacing. The aroma starts off with thick sweet milk and dark chocolate, full and sweet with a nice deep roasty robust coffee bean rolling on into the blend. The flavor takes all of those previously mentioned aromas and adds some black licorice. Semi-sticky sort of sweet and roasty aftertaste with a sly sticky finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a really nice smooth roasty to sweet feel rolling over my tongue. Roasty harshness seems to hit nicely. Overall, really nice Imperial porter that I would have again.

Jul 14, 2017

GreesyFizeek from New York

4.48/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2014 bottle.

This pours a very dark black, with a fleeting head of just a few bubbles, and a little bit of lacing.

This smells like chocolate chip cookie dough, powdery cocoa powder, raisins, dates, and some vanilla.

There's a lot going on here- it tastes like it has adjuncts in it, but there isn't. I get some creamy vanilla, dark and chocolatey fudge cake, dates, prunes, and raisins. There's a bit of molasses, too. There's not a ton of carbonation after 3 years or so in the bottle, but it doesn't affect this too much.

This is light bodied, but silky and still a bit rich, with a very low level of carbonation.

This is a fantastic beer, and one of the best I've had yet from De Molen.

Jun 11, 2017

Everydayoff from Thailand

4.16/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

330ml bottle poured into a snifter.

Deep opaque brown as a showcase, the pour yields very thin tan foam on the surface that is considered as almost no real head, lots of sticky frothy patch and spot clinging on the glass-side as well as lots of sediment.

Very rich creamy and milky chocolate in a nose together with cocoa powder, fudge, some coffee, licorice, dark fruit, dark bread, roasted, and some smoke. Chocolate here is intense and so enticing.

The taste is deep and rich of roasted malt together with big sugary/chocolaty/molasses sweetness but not that cloying with also a touch of rich chocolate flavor. Suggestions of cocoa powder, coffee, licorice, smoke, as well as dark fruit too in the middle of the way while creamy and dark bready touch draw in providing smoothness through the taste buds.

The body is full but not that much sticky with rather low to moderate carbonation but it is crisp and lively enough to carry well its taste and body under the smooth palate sensation and dry finish. Another solid offering from De Molen, this Imperial Porter is heavily roasted and rich in chocolate.

Jan 08, 2017

Leif_Eriksson from Canada (AB)

4.71/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

Nose: dates, dark fruit, warm spice, smoke, syrup.

Look: 2014 bottle. dark crimson brown. still.

Taste: black liquorice, leather, figs, cigar, heavy, creamy, chewy, chocolate, oak, whiskey.

HUGE flavours.

Nov 30, 2016

BucBasil from Rwanda

4.17/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a pint glass at Bottoms Up, Jingan in Shanghai China.

A: Almost pure black with a slight cola red at the edges. Almost no head at all aside from a slight fizz at the top.

S: Sweetness, plum, chocolate of course. Faint traces of alcohol.

T: Slight note of roasted coffee, toffee, milk chocolate, brandy, Kahlua

F: Viscous and thick, sticky in the throat and back of mouth

Overall: A bit much. Really good for a bit then overpowering. Tastes good but the thickness gets to you. Good for a try.

Nov 25, 2016

hoptheology from South Dakota

3.61/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Dark bean brown with no head

Aromas of smoked and slightly rotting meat. Some cocoa malts. Fig. Alcohol prunes. Hints of oxidation.

Metallic bite followed by prunes and jerky, cinnamon, nutmeg, molasses, roast malt, fig. Sticky sweetness throughout.

Feel is surprisingly light for an Imper. Porter, but the stickiness sort of makes up for it. Roasty finish.

Overall reminds me a lot of anchor Porter. A bit stronger though. Worth the $8? Probably not. That's part of my rating here.

Nov 13, 2016

BEERchitect from Kentucky

4.24/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Incredibly deep, dark, complex and robust, no one does roast more than De Molen. Their chocolate porter of the baltic style takes a pedal off of the burnt side but is no less robust or powerful for it. Its cocoa focus is front and center throughout.

Tsarina Esra's ominously dark tar appearance swirls with syrupy legging and capped with a tarnish espresso froth. Rife and dense with the pungent earthiness of true cocoa powder, a coffee-like, fudgy, woodsy and winey fragrance emerges. Burnt sugars galore as the maltiness is remiss of burnt cream and molasses.

With a cocoa-rich fudginess at its core, the porter brings out a heavily toasted, walnut, coffee and chicory-like earthiness as the carbonized sugars begin to lift. Hints of dark fruit and spice follow the roasted cocoa nibs with nuances of red grape, aniseed, blackcurrant, peppercorn, plum skin and robust bordeaux wine. Its woodsy bitterness is easily dismissed for chicory, smoky chocolate or toasted astringency instead of hops, but an herbal cedar note proves otherwise.

Full bodied and mouth-coating with its low-lying carbonation and its lasting sweetness, but the beer's verbose alcohols and powdery tannins aid in dryness while a peppery, woodsy bite continues strong. A long linger of raw cocoa powder and smoldering ember is long and robust even in after-palate in a simmering afterglow of warmth.

Nov 03, 2016

josanguapo from Spain

4.27/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 2 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

From Zombier. In Teku glass. Watching Los Soprano 4x09. Deliciously sweet. Very low on carbonation, providing it a light and very drinkable feel that is very dangerous for such a ABV

Oct 14, 2016

amano_h from Oregon

4.46/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Dark chocolate, roasted malts, ripe plums, figs, and some kahlua-like artificial coffee notes tickle the nose. More cacao nibs and some mild yeast-derived esters also join the fray with the passage of time. I might be hallucinating but I think I smell a bit of pumpkin-like spice toward the back as well? Or maybe that's just what I'm craving right now.

Milk chocolate, kahlua, apple brandy, black cherry, and roasted malts is as far as I'm willing to try in describing the gist of the flavors on the tongue. Some toasted nutty flavors and cacao nibs ornate the back end of the flavor department, accompanied by some figs and dark plums. Some booze burn is apparent after a few sips, but that's expected from a... holy fuck. 11% ABV.

Slick and oily. Medium-bodied with minimal carbonation. Definitely a sipper given its high ABV and complexity, but all the elements involved go hand-in-hand without any clashing of flavors whatsoever. A wonderful showcase of de Molen's masterful usage of malt and yeast. I'm curious how this would taste with more age on it.

Aug 12, 2016

rex_4539 from Greece

4.45/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

L: Jet black color, no head whatsoever, no visible carbonation.

S: Sweet coffee, roasted malt.

T: Amazing sweet coffee flavors, slightly malty aftertaste.

F: Very drinkable for the high ABV, yet full bodied.

O: One of the best imperial porters I have ever tried. Superb!

Jul 23, 2016

Dzu from Russian Federation

4.35/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured into pint from tap.
L: Black without foam head.
S: Berries, plums.
T: CBlck currant, plums.Sweets.
F: Tight body and medium carbonation.
O: Recommended!

Jul 19, 2016

dpgoblejr from New Hampshire

4.82/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Enjoy within 25 years! Dated 5/19/15. Consumed 6/28/16. Mostly black, aggressive pour creates barely a wisp of lacing or head. Kind of a subdued aroma of dark fruit, coffee, and chocolate. Tastes of dark cherries, bitter coffee, and some cocoa. Medium to mostly full feel with the alcohol pretty well hidden. Very complex and balanced; I couldn't stop sipping. Overall, a fantastic imperial porter that will captivate you. Enjoy!

Jun 29, 2016